Running Running Running

Now that it is Spring, the weather is nicer, the birds are singing and the sun shines so much more. Plus, I have signed up at the Running Room and joined a 10km clinic which should help me learn to run the right way and finish (hopefully with a better time) in the Nordion Race weekend. I did the race last year and was able to finish in under an hour. I started last Saturday and was given a schedule of which days to run and how much on those certain days. So far I have followed it to a tee but I can't say I will for the whole 2 months that are left. I run with the Running Room on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays plus a few days on my own which I have been doing on the treadmill when Choo Choo sleeps in the afternoon.
In a few weeks we will be doing some hill training (not so fun). The nice part about the Running Room is that there are always lots of people there that motivate and keep you going, and they have different routes each time we go so we don't get bored looking at the same houses over and over again. I could even just stop by the store at anytime and ask for a map to go out on my own. They know to look out for us if we don't return the map in a long while and watch out for us too. So if you are around the Ottawa area at the end of May you should come out and cheer me on and the other runners too.

The Volcano

So Nugley and I have made the volcano. It was a good experience for us both. He taught me a few things also.

The first day we started off by mixing the plaster in a bowl and pouring it into a mould. We had to let it dry for about 30 minutes then take off the mold and let it dry for the rest of the day. So I took him to Chapters and let him pick some books. I was hoping to pick him up some chapter books now that he's getting older and can handle it more. We were looking at The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osbourne. I picked the first book in the series for him "Dinosaurs Before Dark". He saw a "cool" book, it was part of the Magic Treehouse but it was a Research Guide on Tsunamis and other Natural Disasters which included volcanoes, earthquakes, avalanches and land slides. He was very excited about that one so I could I say no? Then I thought maybe getting an early readers book would be nice for him to keep him practicing with his reading. Plus we can't forget Choo Choo.

Then the next day for the volcano was a painting day. That was all up to Nugley, he didn't need any help with that. I let him go free, he mixed colours (which he learned about at school) he knew which colours were on a volcano before, during and after an eruption. He didn't even want me to look until his masterpiece was finished. Then we had to let the volcano dry for the rest of the day.

On the third and final day of the volcano we finally let it erupt. First we went to the Museum of Nature and looked at the dinosaurs, we also watched a little film on how the dinos became extinct. Well it was a volcano type of effect. Then in the afternoon when Choo Choo was home from school we let the volcano erupt. Nugley added the baking soda and I added the drop of food colour (for effect) some soap and finally some vinegar. And we watched as it slowly came up the funnel of the volcano and dribbled down the sides bubbling as it rose. It was very cool and had some great effects.

All in all, it was a great experience for us both.

March Break

So March Break is over for another year. Well almost, Choo Choo has to go back to her school but Nugley has another week. We had a pretty good time once they got used to be around me all day long. Routine changes are hard on them and they like to test their limits. Fun for me! So I tried to keep them busy for the most part.

Monday we went to a library for story time and songs then to another library in the afternoon for a puppet show (the three little pigs).

Tuesday we went to the Sugar Bush/Log Farm. We saw lots of animals chickens, sheep, a donkey, a horse and a humongous pig. Then we took a very bumpy wagon ride out into the sugar bush. We were told how the sap gets out of the maple trees and what to do when it's time to make it into syrup. Before taking the bumpy ride back we were allowed to taste some taffy on the snow. The kids loved it, however I don't have much of a sweet tooth so I passed on the offer.

Wednesday was a very raining day so we couldn't really do anything outside. I heard that the local Mall was providing child friendly activities all week so I decided that this was the perfect day for that. There were gluing crafts, candy crafts, and face painting. The candy crafts were a neat idea, they used little candies and wrapped in saran wrap with twist ties to separate them for bodies, Choo Choo made a caterpillar and Nugley made a ladybug. The face painting was amazing done by a clown company Choo Choo asked for a butterfly over her full face they painted a lot of details into it and also added some glitter. Nugley chose a dalmatian very cute also, they even added a dog tongue hanging out of the mouth. Dad took pictures when he got home I'll have to see if I can get some from him.

Thursday was a cold day and we were invited to 2 different play dates. The kids had a good time and everyone played nicely with each other which gave me a nice quiet day with my coffee.

Friday we stayed home all morning so I could do all the kids laundry and vacuum around a bit then I took them to McDonald's for lunch and I registered them for a day camp at a Build a Bear kind of place. They were there for over 3 hours and were able to make an animal dress it and do some crafts. They had a great time. Nugley chose a pink unicorn with a pink bathrobe and slippers (I know he's a boy but he seemed to want it) and Choo Choo also chose a pink unicorn with a soccer outfit.

Now I have a week left to entertain Nugley before he goes back to school. I am planning to do some more mature things with him while Choo Choo is at school. We are starting off by making a volcano that really erupts. We borrowed some books from the library that talks about volcanoes. I'll let you know how it goes next week.

Starts Monday

Laila Ali and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Ali, an undefeated world champion female boxer and youngest daughter of sports legend Muhammad Ali, takes her footwork to the ballroom dance floor on Dancing with the Stars. Outside the ring, Ali has graced countless international magazine covers such as Glamour and Italian Vogue, and authored the inspiring autobiography Reach!

Billy Ray Cyrus and partner Karina Smirnoff

Singer/songwriter/actor and star of Disney Channel's hit series Hannah Montana, Cyrus will partner with Season Three's finalist, Karina Smirnoff, who returns for her second season. Cyrus first entered the public spotlight with his hit song Achy Breaky Heart. His other acting credits include the feature film Mulholland Drive and the starring role in the series Doc.



Clyde Drexler and partner Elena Grinenko

Named One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Clyde the Glide" was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team. He began his career in 1983 with the Portland Trailblazers and retired in 1998 with the Houston Rockets, a team he led to the 1995 NBA Championship.

Joey Fatone and partner Kym Johnson

The musician/actor/star of Broadway was a member of one of the most popular singing groups of all time, *NSYNC, which holds the records for the most albums sold in a single day and week. He has since starred in the movies My Big Fat Greek Wedding and The Cooler, and in the Broadway musicals Rent and Little Shop of Horrors.

Shandi Finnessey and partner Brian Fortuna

During the most watched Miss USA® competition in six years, Shandi Finnessey was crowned Miss USA in 2004. She is the host of two game shows on the Game Show Network - Lingo with Chuck Woolery and Playmania. Newcomer Brian Fortuna will be her professional dance partner.

Leeza Gibbons and partner Tony Dovolani

Former host of Entertainment Tonight, Extra and her self-titled daytime talk-show, Leeza, the TV/radio personality currently hosts the nationally syndicated radio program, Hollywood Confidential. Leeza is also the founder of the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation, a nonprofit organization offering empowerment and education to caregivers and their loved ones diagnosed with any memory disorder.

Heather Mills and partner Jonathan Roberts

United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, activist for Adopt-a-Minefield and advocate for animal rights, Heather Mills will be the first contestant to compete with an artificial limb.

Apolo Anton Ohno and partner Julianne Hough

Two-time Olympic gold medal winner Apolo Anton Ohno sets his sights on another trophy to add to his collection, the Dancing with the Stars Mirror Ball. As a short-track speed skater, Ohno has a total of five Olympic medals, tying him with Eric Heiden for the most medals of any U.S. Male Winter Olympian.

Paulina Porizkova and partner Alec Mazo

As the former face of Estee Lauder, Porizkova was once the highest paid supermodel in the world of fashion. She was featured on the cover of several magazines, including the Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Issue for two consecutive years. This spring Porizkova releases her first work of fiction, A Model Summer.

John Ratzenberger and partner Edyta Sliwinska

Ratzenberger's most prominent recent work has been as host and producer of John Ratzenberger's Made in America, and as author of the new book, We've Got It Made in America: A Common Man's Salute to An Uncommon Country. The beloved actor starred in the classic television series Cheers and in ABC's 8 Simple Rules. He is also the only actor to have voiced a role in all of Pixar's feature films, including Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars and the upcoming Ratatouille.

Ian Ziering and partner Cheryl Burke

One of the stars of the hit TV series Beverly Hills 90210, actor Ian Ziering also played a supporting role in the movie Domino, and wrote, produced, directed and starred in the short film Man vs. Monday.

Leafs Night Out

So I was lucky enough to get tickets to the Thursday night Ottawa Toronto game. It was a sold out game and an important game because of the way the standings are turning out to be. It started off badly and continued that way throughout the game. The Leafs just didn't seem to be there that night making lots of wrong moves and getting lots of penalties. The worst part of the game was the guy sitting next to me. He kept giving a play by play and telling the Sens how to play and where to go and it really made the game less fun than it already was.

I was able to get a few pics of the players before the game started. My only problem was that they all moved so fast. It was hard for me to get any pics I got a few but I missed some of the players that I really wanted to get like Tucker and Green but I did manage to get some others as they stood by the glass. I did get Andrew Raycroft, the so called new guy Yanic Perreault and Bryan McCabe. Oh and by the way Toronto played Ottawa again on Saturday and won (woo hoo). Now if only they could win a few more and make it into the playoffs.